Brake beam



June 19, 1956 E. G. oPsAHL BRAKE BEAM Filed March 25. 1952 United States Patent O BRAKE BEAM Eugene G. Opsahl, Chicago, lll., assignor to American `teel Foundries, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New ersey Application March 25, 1952, Serial No. 278,430

1 Claim. (Cl. 18S- 2261) This invention relates to truss type brake beams comprising tension and compression members, a strut and brake heads in the form of a one-piece casting of light weight and maximum strength to suit the requirements of railway service, the present application being an improvement on the copending application Serial No. 276,182, tiled March 12, 1952, in the names of Robert B. Cottrell and Roland T. Leisk.

This invention further contemplates the provision of a truss type brake beam in which ythe strut and the medial portions of the tension and compression members are of tubular section, the medial portions of said members being connected by said strut to form a rigid sturdy construction centrally of the beam.

This invention further contemplates the provision of a truss type brake beam in which tension and compression members of channel section converge toward the outboard ends of the beam and merge to form tubular end portions.

This invention further contemplates the provision of a hanger type brake beam adapted for use with a railway car truck having a relatively short wheel base, the beam being cast integral with brake heads formed at their upper ends with hanger slots to thus decrease the width of the outboard ends of the beam.

This invention embodies other novel features, details of construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the specification and claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating a cast truss type brake beam embodying features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the brake beam;

Figure 3 is an end elevational viewof the brake beam, and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of the present invention and more particularly to Figures 1 to 4 therein, the truss type brake beam is shown in the form of a one-piece steel casting comprising a cambered compression member 2 of channel or U section embodying spaced anges 4-4 interconnected by a web 6, the flanges converging from the ltransverse center line of the beam toward each extremity thereof, as shown in Figure 2. As the beam is identical on opposite sides of its transverse center line, only one end of the beam has been illustrated.

A tension member 8 of channel or U section embodying spaced flanges 10-10 and a web 12 has its medial portion 14 interconnected to the medial portion 16 of the compression member 2 by means of a strut 18 of generally tubular cross section having a brake lever slot and a pin opening 22. The tension member flanges 10-10 are in vertically spaced parallel relation and project rearwardly toward the compression member, and the anges 4-4 on the compression member project forwardly toward the tension member.

2,751,050 Patented June 19, 1956 ICC At the medial portion 16 of the compression member 2, the anges 4-4 merge with the adjacent end of the strut 18 and a rear wall 24, while at the medial portion 14 of the tension member 8, the flanges 10-10 merge with the strut and a front wall 26. It will thus be noted that the medial portions 14 and 16 are of generally tubular cross section and interconnected by a strut of generally tubular cross section. If desired, coaxial apertures 28 and 30 may be cored in the walls 24 and 26.

At each end of the beam the llanges of the compression and tension members 2 and 8 merge to form top and bottom walls 32 and 34, respectively, of tubular end portions 36-36. As shown in Figure 1, the compression member web 6 forms the back wall 38 of the tubular end portions 36-36, and the tension member web 12 forms part of the front wall 40 of the end portions. The top, bottom, front and rear walls of each end portion 36 merge with an end wall 42. A brake head 44 is formed on the forward side of each end portion 36 adjacent the outboard end thereof, the outboard face of each brake head being coplanar with the outboard face of each end wall 42. Each brake head extends above and below the horizontal center line of the beam and is provided with a front face formed with top and bottom intermediate lugs 46 and 48 and with upper and lower toe lugs 50 and 52, the lugs being formed with pasageways to receive a conventional key for locking a brake shoe (not shown) on the brake head. Each brake head is also formed in its front face with a hanger slot 54 adapted to receive a brake hanger (not shown), the slot being disposed between the upper toe lug 50 and the upper intermediate lug 46.

As illustrated more clearly in Figure 3, the slot is formed with an arcuate socket 56 disposed vertically above the related tubular end portion 36, thus decreasing the overall width of the brake head and tubular end portion. It has heretofore been the practice to have the inner slot disposed adjacent the horizontal center line of the brake beam, forward of the end of the beam. It will be appreciated that such a construction materially increases the overall width of the brake head and adjacent end of the beam. As some types of railway car trucks have a relatively short wheel base and cannot accommodate a brake beam and head construction of conventional design, it will be appreciated that locating the hanger slots 54 in the upper portions of the brake he'ads above the ends of the brake beam will permit greater movement of the beams relative to the trucks.

Upper and lower gussets 58 and 60 merge with the rear face of their respective brake heads and adjacent surfaces of their respective end portions 36 to reinforce the brake heads. If desired, apertures 62 may be cored in the end walls 42.

In the invention thus shown and described, it will be noted that the several sections of the one-piece, truss type brake beam are formed and arranged to afford maximum strength and minimum weight to meet the requirements of railway service, and that the brake heads are formed and arranged upon the tubular outboard ends of the beam to permit greater horizontal movement of the beams on railway car trucks having relatively short wheel bases.

While this invention has been shown in but one form, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.

I claim:

In a brake beam, tension and compression members comprising spaced generally horizontal top and bottom flanges interconnected at remote edges thereof by Webs, a tubular strut interconnecting said members at the medial points thereof, said members converging and merging at the ends of the beam to form tubular end portions partially detined by the flanges and Webs of said members, a brake head integrally formed on each end portion in such a manner that the line of presure of said head intersect said end portion, beam end Walls connected to the web of said compression' members, each beam end Wall extending transversely of the beam and coplanar with the outboard face of the related brake head and deiining the outboard limit of said related end portion, each brake head having a front face vformed with pairs of toe and vintermediate lugs, one pair of lugs being above the beam and the other pair of lugs being below the beam, a hanger slot formed in each head transversely thereof between the toe and intermediate lugs located above the beam, said hanger slots being located directly and vertically above the associated tubular end portions, a reinforcing Wall dening the rearward extremity of each slot, upper and lower gussets integrally formed with the related end portions and brake heads and extending transversely of the beam,

the upper gussets being integrally formed with said reinforcing Walls, and a wall segment disposed medially between the intermediate lugs of each brake head, each of said Wall segments forming a part of the tension member Web and defining the front limit of the tubular end portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 636,755 Carliss Nov. 14, 1899 707,658 Vanderbilt Aug. 26, 1902 733,433 Shepard July 14, 1903 747,288 W011i et al Dec. 15, 1903 829,221 Marden Aug. 2l, 1906 1,928,360 Muchnic Sept. 26, 1933 2,500,192 Leisk Mar. 14, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 736,239 France Sept. i3, 1932 

